


That Fucking DOG!

by Nanners (nanjcsy)



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Blame HappyDagger, Cages, Carol Is Her Own Warning, Forgive Me, Human Pet, I Like Folks To Cringe, Lucille Is Her Own Warning, M/M, Mild Gore, Nannerverse, Negan is his own warning, Negotiations, Oh Yeah Walkers, Psychological Torture, Reluctant Killers, Revenge, Sacrifice, Swearing, Torture, Traitor, Unreliable Narrator
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-08
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-09-30 18:15:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10168904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nanjcsy/pseuds/Nanners
Summary: Howdy, Walking Dead Fans!Let's take a trip a little backwards. How about when Daryl first left? I am going to change things a tiny bit. Like Daryl isn't going to kill Fat Joey. He might just run after all. Gone.It would be a miraculous wonderful thing if where Daryl ended up landing was near Carol! What a wonderful thing it would be. Right?Because that wouldn't lead Negan or Dwight there to find him, would it? We all know how worked up Carol can get after all. But could she defeat Negan? Could Daryl? Or could they create a sacrifice of their own for each other?And Negan. Oh boy, forgive me that I am unable to create his accent. However I would like to add BACK into his character something from the comic. One small detail. Negan was a potty mouth, folks.





	1. A Conversation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HappyDagger](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HappyDagger/gifts).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dwight: Somewhere in a far away field there is a small cricket. It is playing an even smaller violin. The song is My Heart Bleeds For You.  
> Negan: Lucille HATES runaway guests.  
> Eugene: Makes sense but who's side is he on?  
> Fat Joey: Glad to be alive.

Fat Joey stood before Negan with his swollen eyes averted to the left.

"He looked so wild and desperate. Like he wanted to bash my head in! I thought he might and he did pause for a minute. I threw up my hands and backed up. He was like a wild junkyard dog my uncle used to have at the dump! I mean, he was growling at me, Sir! Then he sort of lunged forward and punched me in the face. I fell back and when I stood back up, he was gone. I raised the alarm and a few went after him. No one has seen him since. I am so very sorry, Sir. Truly I am."

Negan stared at Fat Joey as if trying to judge whether this man was useful enough to keep alive. Fat Joey began to sweat and he pressed his lips together to keep himself from begging.

Eugene stood next to Negan, at his right. His head was tilted, forehead furrowed as if trying to decipher a riddle. On Negan's other side was Dwight. He was forcing himself to stand tall in spite of the brutal beat down he had only a few days ago.

A beating then three days of Easy Street and dog food sandwiches. How did Daryl stand this for seven full days, Dwight will never understand. Three days and he was contemplating breaking his own skull on the concrete walls.

Of course that didn't count the times that Negan took Daryl out of the cell himself. No, even though Negan broke Dwight's program and chance to prove himself...it is still being blamed firmly upon Dwight because he was in charge. Course.  

Lucille seemed to join the conversation somehow, tilting slowly forward almost caressing against Fat Joey's sweating face.

"It happened and can't be undone. You failed. Dwight failed. What is going on, is there something inside of our fucking water? Maybe the doctor is giving us all happy retard pills and little fat pussy pills into our meatloaf and cupcakes? Gee whiz. I mean, you two are just something else. My prisoner ran away. My dumb bitch ran off, didn't want to be tamed. Now we have to waste time to find him and kill him."

Negan's eyes were blazing.

"Dwight took his punishment like a man. You haven't been punished yet, Fat Joey. Because I need you, man. I need those scrambled brains of yours to work. But I can't say I am happy to hear that when you saw a dog running through the junkyard, you just surrendered to it. Didn't even try talking to him, did you? You fucking coward. Lucille is very angry at you, Fat Joey. Look at her and apologize."

Fat Joey pressed wet lips against the bat and quivering jowls snagged against the barbed wire. Negan sneered down at the pathetic but much needed little display. That didn't mean he didn't have an eye upon the other two. Dwight was being a good boy, a repentant one.

But Eugene, the new quivering, cowardly piece of shit. He was amusing and he was SMART. A self proclaimed smarty pants who can make bullets and once was a doctor. He was useful and would be easily manipulated. 

He looked like a kid at the candy store when he was led through and allowed to see what could be his. Negan watched from above, below and from the shadows. Yes, this Eugene will bend the knee without much trouble at all.

Why wasn't Eugene watching with the same terror he displayed when Lucille is swinging around? Where was the terrified worship, the slightly cowed look to his shoulders? Instead Eugene watched but his eyes were blank.

No, he was deep in thought about something and Negan felt somewhat offended.

"I'm sorry, Eugene. Are we bothering you? I don't mean to break your train of thought or nothing. We all know you are so smart that your mind just starts firing off smart rockets or some shit. So what the fuck is so important that you can't allow poor Fat Joey to finish his apology? Can you imagine this fat fuck's goddamned anxiety level right now? He is ready to bust his heart in pure fucking terror! For all he knows I am about to melt half his face or take an ear from him!"

Negan moved the bat away from Fat Joey and swung his body slowly towards Eugene as if waiting for the punchline of a joke. His voice began a thick drawl of honey starved bees and now he got the reaction he wanted. Sort of.

Yes, Eugene was cowering and his attention was firmly on Negan. That was better but his eyes still looked like his mind was busy. Hmmm.

"I don't want some sort of stuttered babble or apology. So why don't you tell us all what your mind was mulling over. Must have been very important, Smarty Pants."


	2. Flowers And Cookies

Staring at the pretty yellow flowers jauntily waving their leaves at him in the breeze, Daryl tried to calm his breathing. He had run until he was just out of anymore air and strength. At first he had the bike, then there was a wire, a fucking stupid ass wire that must have been waiting for walkers.

He couldn't stop cursing himself as he slid along the pavement. Seems like all his fucking brains stayed with Rick and the group. Because before Negan he would have noticed the few gathered walkers chained nearby. A clear sign that this area is Negan's. Not to mention the bisected walkers and the ACTUAL FUCKING WIRE!

Daryl refused to acknowledge just how panicked he had been. How he just blindly ran like a fucking startled pussy, a whipped dog! If Merle had ever seen such a shameful thing he would beat his brother nearly to death.

Snorting, Daryl sat up and thought that Merle would have been thrilled to work for Negan. After he kicked Daryl's ass for being a coward. Shaking his head, Daryl refused to think of why he needed to run so fast, so panicked. He just needed distance then he could THINK again.

But he missed important signs and here he was, all fucked. Half skinned leg and a concussion plus a wrecked bike.

Daryl only cared to make sure Negan couldn't find him. Nothing else mattered yet. So he forced himself to run, then to limp and finally to crawl. He had managed over a week to travel in a random direction, trying to ignore his fever.

Dragging the puffy leg behind him, Daryl headed into anywhere away from Negan. He crawled into an old hunting lodge and found aspirin and peroxide. Treating his leg caused him to miss a whole day of travel. The pain was so intense it knocked him out cold when the peroxide sizzled into the start of pus.

Daryl spent the next two days numbly walking until he would find a place to hide and sleep. He killed any walkers that got too close but there was nothing in his eyes. They glittered with the remains of a fever and a newfound growing desperation.

He was cracking. How long will it be until Negan finds him? What if Daryl can't save himself? What if he can't kill him and gets his head bashed in?

What if that isn't the worst thing that can happen? What if Negan hurts or kills Rick or Carl or Judith for Daryl's escape? After all, his last mistake cost Glenn his life. Who might he have just killed by running?

Daryl's panic was back and sinking rat size teeth into the back of his neck. Moving faster, Daryl traveled onward and then he stopped dead. He smelled something strange. Not bad, out of place. Very out of place.

He sniffed deeply and went into a crawl through the deep grass to see what was ahead. How could the smell of cinnamon cookies be wafting along the air? Who bakes fucking cookies in a wasted area like this?

Daryl sat up and stared at the little house up ahead. No. It can't be, but there was only one person on earth left who was perfectly comfortable with baking cookies in any circumstance. It wasn't and it didn't matter.

He can't stop anyway. First off, look at him, he was disgusting beyond belief, something he was almost positive she would see, that shame and second, this might bring Negan down upon whomever was really in there.

Daryl started to turn away when the window of the house opened. Hidden, he watched as Carol put a plate of cookies on the window sill to cool.

There was no registering when he got to his feet or started to walk forward. Stagger, really. He didn't even know that he had a tear that smeared one long clean streak down his face. Daryl knocked on the door and stood back as if waiting for a blow.

When the door opened and Carol's face gave that welcome, that familiar understanding of the darkness along with some new pains, Daryl sort of crumbled. It didn't care if it made him a fucking pussy ass bitch or not.

He had to ask. Why she left.

Hugging Carol made the panic stop or at least recede. But in the back of his mind the entire time was the knowledge that he had to leave and never come back here. Negan can never find this one last treasure of his life that he has left.

It will be his own personal secret. That his best friend is still out there, alive and well. Happy as any of them could ever be in this shitty world.

Carol made no mention of how hard it seemed to be for Daryl to sit still in his chair. He kept the back of it scraping hard against the wall as he twitched at sounds. Daryl kept watch out the window while Carol finished cooking their supper. She said nothing about how much he ate or how starved he was.

"I was in a bad place for a bit. Nothing to eat but dog food and the taste won't get off my friggin tongue. Then all I had were bugs and I still could only taste the damned dog food."

Carol smiled at his muttering and asked half jokingly if he had been kidnapped for ransom during a scouting trip. Daryl forced himself to chuckle and said it really was something like that. But his eyes told a different tale and she saw it. And knew enough to pat his hand and not ask.

Afterwards they sat in front of the fire, each huddled into a little ball of their own tense thoughts.

"Why? Why did you leave? I don't want all your damned secrets, but I need to hear this one thing. Why did you just leave me like that? All of us?"

Carol spoke and her eyes were spilling tears that Daryl wished he could spill over things that hurt so badly. It must surely make it ease up the pain of it all afterwards. But her pain was great and her fear of what she would become were real.

Daryl swallowed back his entire experiences and memories of Lucille crashing upon Glenn and Abraham. Then he assured Carol that everyone was good, fine. He couldn't be the person to cause Carol to lose herself.

She took out Terminus, saved so many of them countless times in such badass ways, but she never lost herself. It hurt Carol to kill and Daryl was so sick of the world hurting his best buddy.

Fuck it. For once Rick will have to get saved or stand up another way.

He needed to leave before Negan's men caught any wind of Carol or himself. Daryl needed to find his way back to Rick and the others and get far from his one good thing.

Gruffly, he did warn her of Negan's penchant for smashing heads of those who have nothing to give him. He told her no more cookies to sniff out at least for awhile.

They hugged hard and Daryl prayed that Negan never has interest in this area, this house, this one good thing of Daryl's. 

Then he fled back into the woods this time with provisions and a renewed surge of hope. Carol will stay hidden and safe from it all. Daryl will get to Rick and help organize a rebellion.

Fuck Negan. Fuck Easy Street and dog food sandwiches! Carol's food and words erased the terrible taste. So did the toothbrush to be honest.

Daryl has no idea he is grinning as he catches himself a piece of luck in a shed with a lock on it for the night. And as he slept a Savior scout slowly followed tracks then reported back to Negan.

 

Daryl was curled up in the thick travel blanket that Carol had provided him and sound asleep. Small sounds escaped his mouth as he curled into a small ball.

His mind showed him all the things he represses during his awake hours.

And it does so with malicious glee as Daryl whimpers trying to escape that fucking voice, that fucking bat and that monster.


	3. Seeing A Different Way

Eugene cringed slightly from the intensity of Negan's gaze and flinched away from the lazily swinging bat. Then his own self preservation as well as ego kicked in. He stood straight and looked flatly at the man, who kidnapped yet somehow saved him.

"Your anger at Daryl is entirely justified and killing him would be within your rights. However, if you kill Daryl, you might just create a martyr. Rick and the others want to rise against you as soon as they can. They have to gain guns, people, they must try and get other groups to fight with them. A hard task for most but I have seen Rick do amazing things. Up until he met you, I have never seen Rick truly fear something. That fear keeps him from winning so far. It keeps the other groups in line as well."

Eugene swallowed thickly and continued as Negan's face seemed interested but also growing in a possible slow simmering anger.

"Daryl is not just a loyal and loved member of Alexandria and Rick's right hand man. He is known by others they traded with in the past. If you kill him, it might give Rick that last step he needs to attack you. It might give the reason for other groups to listen to Rick."

Nodding, Negan half closed his eyes as if somewhat tired and unconcerned but his voice had a tinge of threat under the chummy tone.

"l see your point, Eugene. So what do you suggest? I can't ignore the slight done to me, the injustice of what he did to Fat Joey must be addressed. So must Fat Joey's punishment." 

The heavyset man was sweating and his teeth were chattering as he waited silently. Negan gave a look full of sadism and affection at the man then he glanced back at Eugene.

"Well? What's the plan, Stan? Come on, Eugene we don't have all day and night to wait for you to draw us diagrams. Think of poor Fat Joey, stop being so cruel to him with all these delays."

Negan put his hands on Joey's shoulders and began a soothing massage that did nothing to calm Joey in the least. Far as Eugene could see, it just made Fat Joey look as if he would cry any second.

Eugene squeezed the sloth in his pocket as he spoke.

"Make an example out of him. One that they will all be forced to acknowledge. Do something truly shocking and humiliating, a living, breathing example of what happens to runaways. To those that attempt to fight or flee your ownership. Not a smashed body part from your bat or a terrible burn from your iron. You have done those all before, yet Daryl still ran and Rick still tries to defy you."

Negan squeezed Joey's shoulders then let him go to stroll leisurely over to Eugene.

"Alright then. I will think upon that and come up with a good idea. Unless you come up with one first, Smarty Pants. So for now, Daryl is to be brought back alive. Dwight, go make sure everyone understands that, get on that radio. I want everyone of our people to keep their eyes peeled for my runaway dog. My dog. Huh. I think I might already have an idea, Eugene. Maybe your smarts are catching."

Negan pinched Eugene's cheek.

"Now, do you think you can keep yourself in check long enough for me to deal with Fat Joey? Or should I shove your damned stuffed sloth down your throat to keep your mouth shut? If you have any more great thoughts for us, write them in your little notebook, okay? Great!"

Negan slapped Eugene's back with such force it nearly knocked him over. Eugene gave a soft quick apology for interrupting and kept his eyes low and mouth shut.

 

Lighting one of his cigars, Negan hunched down in front of Fat Joey, looking him in the eyes.

"I have always enjoyed you, Fat Joey. You know that, right? You are one of my favorites to pick on and to give good job details to. Because you never fail me, because you are loyal. So..what happened?"

Negan's voice went very soft and confidential. His smile and eyes encouraged Fat Joey. While Negan puffed on his cigar, Fat Joey tried to explain again what happened. 

"Naw...I don't want to hear excuses, fat boy. That doesn't cut it around here and you know that. I don't accept your excuses. I don't accept failure or cowardice, I won't bear it. So let's shut that shit down and end this."

The cigar's cherry red lit end thrust into Fat Joey's left eye. Joey screamed and clutched his hands over his ruined eye.

Negan stood back up and stared down without mercy at the screaming, half blind man.

"There. Now you have an excuse for not seeing things in time. Eugene, see that his eye is fixed the best you can."

Without a word, Eugene scurried over to Fat Joey and helped him up.

 

Staggering under the weight of the man in agony, Eugene began to worry about fixing Fat Joey. He sat the man in the doctor's examination chair and whistled at the destruction of Fat Joey's eye.

He flushed it out, he read a few chapters in a medical book as he tried to tend to Fat Joey. After he administered a heavy dose of painkiller to him, of course.

That way if he fucked up, Fat Joey was too out of it to know if a mistake was being made.

 

Negan paced about near the fence, easily dodging his captive walkers. He watched some of them tense upon the chains and he smiled. Yes, Eugene was right, there were worse things he could do to Daryl then death or the usual punishments.

He decided he would give a quick search himself for his missing fucking dog tomorrow. One of his men said that Daryl was possibly sighted near the Kingdom's lands. Negan was fairly certain that Daryl was not the type to seek help from those he doesn't already know.

That meant the stupid mutt was hoping to skim past the Kingdom, heading towards his old home and hunting grounds.

Softly Negan spoke as he gently ran Lucille against the chain link fence.

"Oh no, doggie. No, no, no, Daryl, you stupid lil old pup. Rick isn't your leash holder anymore, that isn't your home anymore. Your home is with me, good ol Negan. Don't worry, dog, I'm coming for you. Just wait till I catch up with you, it will be one HELL of a homecoming."


	4. Calling Bullshit

Carol finished tidying the little home and made sure it looked as good as it could. Then she picked up her backpack and bag, along with the rifle slung over her shoulder.

Ed was an awful husband but he did manage to teach Carol a few things. Not only did he teach her how to take a punch, how to endure pain but one more thing, an important one.

He taught her how to call bullshit. When they would watch the news, eating the dinner Carol carefully prepared always on time, Ed would raise his fork at the television. He would point out how folks acted and moved as they spoke.

"I call bullshit. She killed the poor son of a bitch. The tears might be in her eyes, but look at her mouth. How hard she tries not to smile, the evil cunt. A husband tries to discipline his wife and kids, the ungrateful bitch shoots him."

Usually when Ed called bullshit, he was correct. Carol paid attention to that lesson as well as all others Ed taught her.

And Carol knew that Daryl had fed her an entire tray of bullshit. Worse was she let him do it and then let him go. Carol saw the terror and pain in Daryl's eyes but it was too overwhelming, too scary for her.

So Carol didn't call bullshit. She let him leave, to where who knows or why. Carol only knows that she made a terrible mistake. He was her best friend, he needed help, it was clear. They all needed her and she knew it.

Morgan didn't want to tell her, she had to push him to it. As soon as she heard she went home and made her travel plans. Carol shut the door and left the key to the home under a small rock.

Then she began to track Daryl. It was worth it. Besides, Carol was stronger now, she no longer needed to sit and contemplate her mental state. She was willing to lose sanity if that is what it took to save her friend.

Carol not only found the shack that Daryl had slept in, she found something alarming. There were fresher tracks following Daryl. Well, fuck.

She found herself moving faster. 


	5. Guilty As Charged

It took Daryl nearly all day just to clear enough walkers to get into the rusting warehouse. But he had to stop, he was so friggin tired, he couldn't go any further. Dizzily, he wavered as he finished making sure he was fully alone.

It took every drop of his brother's ghostly memory to get him to make a half ass attempt at a good barricade on the door. Why Meryl decided now was a good time to drop in for a visit, who knows. Daryl was aware he had a fever, that one of his damned cuts were infected.

Carol worked so hard to patch him and he was such an idiot. Got surprised by a walker during the night and fell into a ravine. Jagged rocks and some thorn bushes took care to undo all her work. Daryl knew he was fucked.

When Daryl ate, drank some water and set out a blanket, his brother got bored and fucked off. He was thankful for that blessing and hoped it was a sign he was getting better. Laying down, it took only seconds for Daryl to fall asleep.

And as soon as he descended into sleep, his fevered mind took over in a poisonous rush.

 

_He was naked, he was pressed up against a wall, shivering, whimpering, begging Negan to stop. His broken voice, clogged with tears, desperate, offering to do nearly anything for the man, the loathsome man to just stop._

_That was what he was reduced to by the time Daryl dared to escape. He was broken down, pressed down into that creature, that pathetic thing. It didn't take Negan all that long either._

_It wasn't Dwight's awful fucking songs, the closet or the dog food that was cracking Daryl down. It was fucking awful and Daryl felt he might lose his mind, but it wasn't going to bring any loyalty. Fuck them._

_Negan just seemed to know what to do. What Daryl couldn't withstand, what would crush his fucking soul and Negan joyfully played with it like taffy. Daryl can take torture, he can take pain, he can take humiliation and isolation, hell, you should've known his family....but this....this..._

_Every night Daryl was yanked out of his cell and dragged into a room. He would be half blinded from the sudden bright lights and then the giant silhouette of Negan and Lucille over him. That chuckle, his thick drawl that wraps around Daryl's throat like a snake and tightens it._

_And it was always the same._

_Lucille touches him, all over, sometimes tapping hurtfully upon his head or jaw. Daryl would be on his hands and knees. He didn't dare not obey the fucking bat. Daryl turned all the fear towards the bat, not the man, it made it easier._

_And somehow it felt rebellious. He will not ever be Negan._

_Then Negan begins to talk and the bat moves all over him, sometimes it gives demonstrations._

_And Negan talks._

_And Daryl cracks._

_"Do you wonder, do you wonder if Glen would have been a good daddy? Do you wonder if they will ever whisper too close too the boy? Like, you_ _know how folks can drink a little too much at parties? Whisper something like, yeah, that boy would have had his daddy if only that Daryl had just kept his mouth shut? I mean, that is really heavy shit, Daryl. If you do think that stuff, we can discuss it? I am here for you, hell, I could even give you some great therapy!"_

_"Remember that red headed asshole? Oh, wasn't he something! Damn, he was amazing to the end! Glen, well, it was still fun, but I did hate to make a widow. That girl looked ten ways to fucked up, didn't she? Hope she didn't lose that baby. Shock can do that to pregnant ladies if something bad enough happens. And boy was that shocking! The sounds and his fucking eye, that was truly some gory shock. Are you crying again, Daryl?"_

_"Those two broken fingers are your own fault, don't blame Lucille for it, Daryl. I told you not to try and crawl away while I am talking, didn't I? Its fucking rude, bitch. Now you can cower there and hold your damned fingers. The doctor will set them in the morning when Dwight sees you. Now shut up unless you want to be rude some more? Huh? Or can I finish a fucking sentence this time? Great. Now let's start at the beginning, since I was interrupted and have no idea where I was. Let me demonstrate for you the deaths again then I'll go from there."_

_"Daryl, who's fault is it that Glen is dead?"_

_"Mine."_

_"That's right. Do you really want to go back and face his widow and tell her you're sorry? How do you think that woman feels about you? And you failed Rick most of all, didn't you? Weren't you his right hand man? You and Glen were it. Right? You know it's true. Right?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"Yeah. Good. Its healthy to face what you've done. It's good to remember what all these warm happy friends become in the end. They become corpses or victims one way or another It isn't that kind of world anymore and all it gets you is a bunch of guilt and shame. You have to learn to change with the times. You spoke because you didn't care if I killed you or not, you have that kind of predator to you. But see, I saw the damage, the weakness Rick has given you. So I killed your buddy for it instead. Why kill something as unique as you when I knew I had no use for some champion of the weak. And you have learned, haven't you? Learned that I know how to keep power, how to discipline, how to make sure that I always win."_

_"Rick and his group are going to be my good little workers, trust me on that. They have gotten the message. What about you, Daryl, have you gotten the message? Was Glen enough for you to get the message?"_

_"Daryl, went to visit Rick and I have some sad news for you. The widow didn't make it, baby didn't either. Too bad, I was kind of hoping for a new wife. Are you going to cry again? Poor Daryl.''_

_"Poor doggie. That's what you look like, you know. A beaten down dog that just begs for more abuse. Cause it won't change its fucking nature, not even if it would save it's life! Stupid fucking dog. Maybe that is what you really are."_

 

Daryl struggled in his dreams as the infection raged against his overheated body.  Simon had chuckled to find himself standing over the curled up man. Daryl never heard or saw him and Simon declared it the easiest catch ever.

They lifted the twitching man into the truck and rushed back to headquarters. Simon forced cold water down the man's throat and sweated over getting him to a doctor in time.

Negan will be ripshit if Daryl dies and will find a way to take that out on whomever was responsible for bringing Daryl back.

 

Simon didn't see the slender woman among the trees at a distance.


	6. Degrees Of Shittiness

Daryl felt like shit. No, this was worse than shit. This was beyond any scale he has in his muddled mind.

He felt so awful that for a brief and horrific moment he wondered if he was turning. If he was about to die of an infection and become a shambling nightmare.

A creature that would mindlessly kill. Daryl the Walker would pick up screaming baby Ass Kicker a.k.a Judith Grimes and rip into her without remorse. He could think of no worse fate and he opened his dry mouth to scream in protest of this.

 

The next time Daryl became aware of himself, he felt like shit. Just awful, but like shit.

He could hear his raspy breaths and feel his own pulse, it was thready but there. He was alive and not dying. Before Daryl could celebrate this, he was gone again.

 

Daryl was awake.

He felt like shit, but like weakened, achy, had a flu kind of shit.

He tested his limbs and they worked. They were also quite clean and he was laying down on a clean rubber mattress.

 

The next observation was a much bigger shock. He stared at the bars around him for a good few minutes, trying very hard to understand. Daryl figured out he was in a dog cage. Someone stuck him in A FUCKING DOG CAGE!

Forgetting he felt shitty, forgetting that he was weak, Daryl began to try and break out of the cage. He growled and even gave one frustrated roar as the thin but strong wire did no more than bend in some useless spots.

Panting, sweating, Daryl gave up and lay back on the mattress to rest and catch his breath. Damn it, how sick had he been? He can't even break out of a dog kennel?

His eyes scanned the room and he knew it. He knew this room and of course, there was only one man who would dare to put Daryl in a fucking dog cage.

Negan had him again and this was the doctor's room.

Except it seemed different. Furniture moved around and it seemed more a science lab than a doctor's office. Daryl stared at a large jar of pickles on a table and it made him recall how thirsty he was.

Licking cracked lips with a dry tongue, Daryl tried to fumble at the outside latch on the door the cage. He heard someone coming and he crouched the best he could in the cage, ready to fight.

 

The next shock was seeing Eugene in a black coat, a damned sloth thing hanging from a pocket. Eugene didn't seem surprised to see Daryl, he didn't look scared as if he were a prisoner or hostage.

He hung up his coat and then gave an approving nod to see that Daryl was awake.

"Welcome back to the world, Daryl. I daresay Negan will be happy for the news. He has been quite the rough man to be around these days. When you came back with a raging fever, he was furious. I still bear a few bruises for his impatience with your medical treatments. I cannot of course predict how long it can take for someone to get well. But you are getting well and finally lucid. I hope. Are you lucid, Daryl? Do you remember who I am? Who you are?"

Eugene was crouched in front of the cage, mirroring Daryl. He shined a small pen light into Daryl's eyes and waited for the angry man to answer him.

"I am Daryl. You are Eugene and what the fuck are you doing here with Negan? Why am I in this fucking cage?"

"It must all be confusing. You were picked up almost a month ago, Daryl. Around that time, I was taken by Negan and I became Negan. Then I became the doctor and residential smarty pants. You may judge me if you wish, everyone else does too. I don't really care. And Daryl, you need to concentrate on you more than me right now. Negan has you in this cage for a reason and I cannot release you from it without his direct orders. My job is only to heal you. I am going to tell him you are awake and aware. I am sorry for all of this that is happening to you, Daryl. I did what I could to keep Negan from murdering you. But I have nothing to do with what he does with you now."

Daryl growled at Eugene to explain what the hell he was talking about but the man simply left the room.

 

Refusing to be scared, refusing to let Negan see his fear, Daryl prepared himself for a fight.

He felt so weak and the only thing he was wearing was a pair of clean boxers. There was no way to sit or stand, only crouch, crawl or lay down. Clutching the bars on either side, Daryl held his shaking limbs in a crouch, forcing his sweaty head up in defiance.

Negan walked in to see this and that fucking smile that Daryl despised spread across his broad face. Lucille was swinging carelessly at the man's side. From Daryl's crouched position, Negan looked impossibly tall and imposing.

"Well, lookee at what we have here! The little run away mutt is caged and finally awake! Halle-fucking-loooha for that! Do you know how tiresome it is to finally catch a prize then to have it not even notice? I mean, what the fuck kind of fun is that? Daryl! I thought you would die and I thought for sure I'd need a whole new doctor again too! And it gets tiresome to get new folks into new positions...it's boring shit, doggie!"

Daryl glared at Negan then growled out one sentence.

"Let me out of this fucking cage."

Negan let out a maidenly gasp then made a tsking sound while shaking his head. His facial features pulled into a long sad mask of understanding and sympathy. 

"Poor guy. Eugene didn't explain, did he? Naw, he is a good talker and thinker, he is loyal to the bone but man, he has NO SPINE! He is a coward of the highest order, the toadie. But he is mine, he is loyal and that makes up for him being a shitty doctor and a worse jellyfish. And of course, you have been too sick to really think anything through, huh? Wow, I will tell you, you were sick as a dog! A dog, which is kind of funny. Want to know why? Of course you do."

 

Running the bat along the bars, the sides and the top, Negan walked in a circle around the cage. Daryl shied from the bat but tried to keep his tormentor in sight. 

"You, Daryl, are mine. You won't be my soldier and that is fine. You won't be a good worker and we know you suck at being a prisoner. And you don't act like any of my people anyway. Not from the lowest up. Nope, not a fucking bit. Like your dear old buddy Rick, you are fucking stupidly stubborn to the end. But you have no one to care about so much for me to threaten. You don't have a kid or a wife or a parent or sibling. Not even a best buddy. Daryl, what a sad fucking fact when you think on it! But it makes me wonder...you followed Rick because he was strong leader. Because he provided clear orders and was strong enough to handle you. Like an owner does with a dog. Maybe you were Rick's feral dog and didn't know it."

Negan leaned on the top of the cage and Daryl found himself going lower to get away from the man. He shifted left and Lucille caught him hard on his back right through the damned bars.

Daryl hissed in pain while Negan chuckled and then flattened himself nearly on top of the cage. There was no where to go if the bars caved in and Daryl tried hard not to panic at the sadistic eyes.

"You were Rick's bitch, his wild wolf. And now you are mine. You are MY bitch now. MY slinking alley mutt, my stupid dog and you are going to be tamed. You would have made a great fighter for me Daryl, but I have no doubt that you will make an excellent pet."

"Go fuck yourself! I am no one's bitch, no one's fucking dog!"

 

Negan's face went still and chilling in a way that dried Daryl's mouth worse than it already was.

It was that swimming shark under the calm waters, ready to strike. It was the tilt of Rick's head and the tracking of his eyes when he goes for a human kill.

The same look that Meryl wore when he had to discipline his little brother. A flat merciless stare that their daddy gave them just before he would unleash hell upon them.

The look can lead to great pain or even death but it would be such a slow and bad one. Daryl was far too weak to fight or even defend himself if Negan chose to attack him. Not that Daryl stood any chance against Lucille anyway.

Instinct alone forced Daryl to slowly crawl into the corner of the cage and stay silent. Only his eyes spoke volumes but among the rage and frustration, his eyes also showed fear and humiliation.

That was enough for now and Negan's self assured smirk returned, his eyes crinkling.

"Such a naughty puppy. You should really learn some respect for your owner, dog. You must be thirsty as hell. Look at your lips, damn! Are you just dying for some water? You look parched as hell. Tell you what. I'm going to be a nice owner even though you are clearly an untrained mutt. I'm going to let you have some water. I'll even let you come out of that cage for it!"

 

Negan got off the cage and rummaged carelessly through Eugene's work cabinets. He whistled a jaunty tune as he found a plastic bowl and filled it with water. Then he put it on the floor in the middle of the room and went back to the cage.

With a reassuring smile that put Daryl instantly on guard, Negan opened the cage door and stood to the side of it.

"There you are, Daryl! A nice bowl of water for my new dog. Go on and drink it."

Daryl kept one eye upon Negan and Lucille as he inched his way out of the cage. Negan never moved or said a word until Daryl cleared the cage then tried to stand up.

Lucille delivered a punishing but glancing blow to the back of Daryl's knees, bringing him heavily to the floor.

"Uh oh...that's a no can do for doggies, Daryl! Dogs don't stand or walk on two feet, silly pup. Naw, how would a dog get to his water and drink it, Daryl? It's a rough question after being sick for so long, I know that. Take your time and think on it, Daryl."

If he can live on dog food sandwiches while listening to a never ending fucking tune, Daryl can do this. He was thirsty and too weak to fight back. Daryl grimaced but he crawled forward slowly towards the bowl.

"There ya go! Good boy! Now, lap up your water, thirsty doggie."

Cringing at the tone, Daryl stuck his tongue into the water and found himself nearly choking to shovel it into his mouth. It has been quite some time since he has tasted clean well water. It soothed his burning throat and it was ambrosia in his mouth.

He actually whined a little when the bowl was shoved away by Negan's foot.

"That's enough. That is half the bowl already. Your stomach is all shriveled and empty, you'll get cramps if you keep going. Dumb dog. But that is what an owner is for after all, to keep you from anymore dumb mistakes."

Daryl said nothing but remained stiffly on his hands and knees in front of Negan. He kept his eyes on Lucille and silently repeated that he won't be anyone's dog. Negan pulled something out of his pocket and whistled to get Daryl's attention.

Growling softly, Daryl looked up to see what Negan held. The gloved hand held a large black collar and Daryl knelt up in protest, not daring to stand.

"I won't be Negan. And I won't wear a collar. I won't be a fucking dog. Just let Lucille have me."

 

Negan laughed and then stopped as if he made a sudden revelation.

"Oh! Oh no...Daryl...buddy! You thought there was AN OPTION? Shit on a painted shingle, I wasn't clear enough and that is entirely on me, I own that one. Yeah...let me make sure you really understand your situation."

The bat was suddenly pointed in Daryl's face. Negan's voice was no longer playful or amused. It was softer and it was merciless.

"You are going to be my new dog, Daryl. You don't get to choose or like your fate, but that is your fate. You will be my loyal, tamed and obedient bitch. And it can take a few weeks or a few years, Daryl, but you will accept and fully become my dog. Do you get it yet? Do you understand your new and permanent role in life? Answer me, dog." 

Daryl's body trembled and shook and his voice was a bare thread of sound. And yet, Daryl remained kneeling and muttered,

"Fuck you."

"Ah, so you do understand. Good. So let's begin."


	7. No Remorse

Carol felt no remorse at the things she had to do in order to save Daryl.

She did not feel bad for stealing a truck, weaponry and supplies from the Kingdom. Morgan watched her do it and he had stood silently by. It drove her crazy to feel that gaze upon her back.

"I have good reasons."

"I am sure you do. That's why I am not stopping you. Do you need help? Do you want any kind of backup at all?"

"No. This...this is my last ever mission, okay? My last rescue and kill count. If I survive it, I am going to go as far away as I can."

"It's Daryl, isn't it?"

Nodding, Carol finished tossing the last bag into the cab of the truck.

"Something terrible happened to him and I couldn't help him. Daryl couldn't tell me anything about what Negan did because he wanted to protect me. Whatever Negan did to him, it broke my best friend and I just let him leave that way. They took him, just before I could find him. He looked really sick and if he is still alive, Negan has him. Again. Because I let Daryl lie and walk out rather than be a good friend. I'm going to save him if he is alive. You know what I'll do, Morgan. I am going to take out as many of them as I can to get Daryl out of there. Then I'm going to slaughter Negan or die by his hand. And if I live, I don't think I'm going to be safe around humans anymore. See me from this point on as you would a walker, Morgan. Dead inside but still moving. Goodbye."

 

Morgan saw no tears in Carol's eyes, he saw nothing he could speak with and he let her leave. He did not try and speak, he did not attempt to hug her goodbye. She was already gone, long before she started away in the truck.

He gave it three hours before he stole a horse and headed at breakneck speed for Alexandria. Carol has saved Rick's ass countless times, it was time for him to return the favor.

 

Carol felt no remorse for the Negan scout she caught.

The man swore and spit at first but soon after Carol began to torture him, he screamed and begged. Putting down the bloody razor, Carol gave him a small sip of water.

"Ready to talk yet? Or you can pick another part of me to skin first?"

He not only talked, he drew her a map of Negan's compound. Carol thanked him before she drew a blade across his throat deeply.

 

Carol felt no remorse for the next Negan puppet she tracked down. The woman gave in after Carol threatened to put a lit cigarette into her eye. The burning ember was singing the woman's lashes before she began to give in.

"Fine! I'll talk! What do you want me to tell you? What do you want to know?"

"I want to know about Negan. All about him."

The woman talked and answered questions for two hours before Carol thanked her and thrust her knife through the woman's eye.

 

There was nothing more than a sense of distaste when Carol struck one of the smaller units that Negan had roaming about. She began to set up her kills like a corpse mousetrap.

It was time to attract a predator to it's own kill.


	8. A Good Dog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> okay folks! this is it, the rape tag should have warned you this was coming.

It took weeks of hell to get Daryl to act the way Negan wanted, to look the way he wanted. The weakness and sickness had not quite left him, so for the most part the man would obey.

A cattle prod, a few fingers and toes broken by Lucille and some well placed kicks assisted. Daryl still glared and snarled, doing everything as unwillingly slow as he could.

Negan was as patient as he could be. Something was going to break this man into his dog, it was just a matter of time.

 

He calmly shoved Daryl's face into the water bowl when the man decided he didn't wish to lap water anymore. He had to nearly drown him twice, but in the end, Daryl listened and did as he was told.

Eating dog food out of a bowl went a little smoother after the water incident. Plus mentioning that Daryl's other option was a feeding tube put up his nose by Eugene.

Daryl had some broken ribs and deep contusions on his legs and back that will take months to heal. That was from having to learn to crawl rather than stand and walk. He really didn't like that rule and Negan didn't really give a shit.

Negan's boots and Lucille were always ready to deliver a swift and painful reminder to stay down unless told otherwise. 

"Walking is for men. Crawling is for dogs, remember? Tell you what, Dog. If you can behave for two straight hours, no snarling, no mean looks at me, nothing at all, you can earn standing and walking time."

 

Daryl earned walking and standing time very slowly on a behavioral points system. Eugene had informed Negan that if he kept Daryl on his hands and knees all the time he would develop problems.

So Negan developed a system of points to be earned. Each behavior that Negan wanted out of his new pet had walking and standing points. If Daryl managed to not glare, he earned fifteen minutes to stand and walk.

If he could spend one full day going in and out of the crate without complaint or resistance was a full thirty minutes of walking and standing.

The worse the behavior was, the more time Daryl could earn if he contained it. Learning to crawl beside Negan, on leash and in front of others could earn Daryl a full two hours on two legs in the fresh air.

 

Other rewards were given too.

Negan knew well how to play the carrot and stick.

For kneeling in one place every time he was told to stay earned Daryl knee and elbow pads, with matching gloves for his hands.

Negan offered real food for good behavior while being treated by Eugene. An egg and tomato sandwich with homemade chips or pasta with sauce.

Negan always keeps a small baggie of chunks of fruit or a few cookies with him when he works with Daryl. He offers small bits of the food to Daryl for following orders well.

He knows that it drives Daryl batshit and humiliates the hell out of him. And yet, Daryl will turn red and take the treat from the floor. Using just his mouth, he will pick it up and eat it.

Negan hopes that soon he will be able to train Daryl to take a treat from his hand. But not yet. He must be patient with Daryl.

 

The first time that Daryl tried to snarl and ignore the tossed treat, Negan's face darkened like a sudden storm.

"I hate ungratefulness, Daryl. It is NOT acceptable. I am shutting that shit down NOW. BAD DOG!"

He had slammed his boot down onto Daryl's neck, forcing him to be still. Taking off his belt, Negan beat the living hell out of his rude, ungrateful mutt. Daryl was sobbing, biting through his own lip and finally, he screamed.

"Stop! Please! I'm sorry! I'm sorry I was rude! Master! Stop!"

Now Daryl always picks the treats up and eats them without a word.

 

Negan has a new idea in his head today. He was smiling and whistling as he attached the leash to Daryl's collar.

"Today, we shall go for a longer walk. We have gone down a few hallways and you did very well. We are going to stroll through the whole place today, Daryl. If you do well, then we will go out the door and enjoy some fresh air. And you can walk beside me out there. Sounds good, huh? Yeah...you might be frowning...your pout says no but your eyes say yes, sweetheart."

Daryl flinched under the booming laughter and sing song voice but he kept silent and still. He did desperately want that outside time, to walk and to breathe fresh air.

Everyone would see him crawling, see him picking a treat off the floor like a dog for a good trick. Everyone, his men and wives and those other poor points workers and the prisoners. All would see him acting this way.

 

"You don't have a choice, Dog. Whether I drag you or you crawl, we are taking this walk. Whether you earn your time outside as a man or not, we will take this walk. No matter what. I will give you a second to let that sink into your thick skull, Daryl."

The voice was stone cold and Daryl flinched knowing the terrible look that came with it. He hated how Negan could switch moods and emotions so fast. Daryl knew he had to try and obey but he didn't want others seeing him act this way.

Worse would be them seeing him dragged and beaten through the hallways. What if it got so bad that he cried or begged for Negan to stop? 

Daryl gave a sharp nod and did his best not to respond to any further taunts and jabs from Negan. He could at least earn something good out of this misery. Negan has indeed taught him to be grateful for the small things.

 

As they went through the halls, Daryl tried hard to ignore the stares or the catcalls from Simon and a few others. Daryl knew that Negan was encouraging it. It was for his benefit and fuck them.

He obeyed and was just glad he wasn't expected to do tricks or speak. Calling Negan his master was hard enough, saying it in front of others it made Daryl's stomach turn. He hated that one rule more than any other.

A threat of being neutered was the only thing that made it come from his mouth.

 

The one time that Daryl refused to say it, Negan instantly called for Eugene.

Daryl was hysterical when Simon and Dwight came and forced him onto a surgical bed. They put him in restraints while Eugene prepared his tray of surgical tools.

Negan stood at the bedside and kept stroking back Daryl's sweaty hair as the man became more and more desperate. Simon and Dwight had to use nearly all their strength to keep Daryl's lower half still while Eugene shaved his pubic hair off.

That did it and Daryl started to sob and plead, his eyes rolled up to stare at Negan.

"Who am I, Dog?"

"Master! Master! I said it, stop him! Please, I won't do it again! Sorry! Sorry!"

Negan told Eugene the surgery was off for now and then he took off the restraints and sent his men away.

"That is a big rule you just can't break, Dog. Or I will assume that the only real way to make you submit and behave is to neuter you. Also, I want you to know that a man had a heart attack. But Eugene had to come here to work on you, I hope my worker doesn't die because of your stubborn need for everyone's attention."

 

Daryl crawls next to his Master and tries to rid himself of that memory. They are in the point workers area now and it is fairly quiet. It is daytime and no one is in the resting or lounging areas.

Then they hear something and Daryl feels the hair on his neck stand straight up. The growl that slips out makes him curse mentally, but it was not directed at Negan.

Negan seemed to know this and he was also interested in the sounds that were getting clearer the closer they went to it.

"Please stop! No! Please don't, no!"

"Shut the fuck up, little bitch! Gonna fuck you so hard, you'll love it, shut up or I'll break your jaw!"

Negan lunged forward and ripped a flowered sheet out of his way. Daryl was next to him, in front of him now, straining at the leash, ready to kill. So was Negan for that matter.

 

A worker that was always drunk and getting himself into trouble has finally earned his final punishment. The large bald pot belly drunk was pressing a girl onto one of the cots.

He had just started to thrust into the poor teenager, who tried to scream but his sweaty hand was pressing hard on her mouth and nose. Negan wouldn't be surprised if the man accidentally would have killed the girl as he raped her.

Now he saw Negan and tried to scramble off the girl and find his pants. His still half hard cock was dotted with blood and Daryl growled loudly at the man.

As Negan began to speak, the penis went flaccid and the man started trying to offer excuses.

"I don't want to hear your voice or I will rip out your tongue. You sick fucker. No, don't bother with the shirt, just your pants, I don't want to ever see your penis again! Sweet mother of light, I want to rip out my eyes and throw them away. Daryl, did you see how small that thing was? No wonder you have to rape a girl to get some wet for your wick! I understand, buddy, sometimes you just have to have a scratch itched properly, right?"

 

Negan walked over to the sobbing girl still naked and curled on the cot. He spoke very softly and all his movements were deliberate and slow.

"I am very sorry, honey. I am going to make it right for you, as right as I can. You didn't deserve that disgusting man to be your first time. Hush and get dressed. Are you hurt badly? Did he cut you or break any bones? No? Good, good. Here, get dressed. Now just sit here for a moment while I deal with your rapist, this disgusting pig."

Daryl kept his eyes on the man while Negan spoke to the victim. Finally, the girl was dressed and calmed enough for Negan to turn back towards the man.

"You broke a HUGE fucking rule, Brian. I mean...one of the biggest. This girl, this pretty little thing is a hard worker. And I have already made a lovely deal with her parents. Her name is Lynn and she turns eighteen in a few months. She is going to be one of my wives. So..not only did you take advantage of an underage girl, you raped my own fiance! There isn't any coming back from that, buddy."

Brian tried to plead but Negan shook his head and then leaned down towards his growling dog.

"He is a rapist. If we hadn't shown up, he would have killed that girl while he raped her. If I let him live, he will do it again. Lucille is tired and wants to rest. It's up to you, my dog. You can attack and kill him to not only give justice but to keep the girls safe. Or you can severely wound him and he can go work on the fence. And the second he fucks up and leaps at something pretty to stab his penis into, I will inform you of it. So you can know its your fault. You choose."

Negan finished whispering to Daryl and then straightened up to give a cheery grin at Brain.

"Dog, attack!"

 

Daryl stared mindlessly at the gore on his own hands and his jaw ached terribly. The taste of flesh and blood made his stomach wind uneasily. He heard the girl quietly sobbing and he felt Negan lean over, no, loom over him.

"Good dog. My loyal, obedient, submissive dog. That has an attack feature. See Daryl? You still get to be tough and kill things! Aren't you grateful?"

"Yes Master. I am grateful."

 

He numbly followed Negan who carried Lynn to Eugene and told him to give her any care she needed, any at all. Then he gave another order that Eugene liked even less.

He was already shuddering, he hated anything to do with gynecology as it was. Now a rape examination? But then it got even worse.

"Send someone for her parents. They should be with her. You will answer any questions that they have. Tell them I will visit them tomorrow."

For a moment, Eugene balked.

"I..I don't do well with hysterical or grieving parents. I wasn't trained in this..in traumas of the female sort."

 

Negan got into Eugene's face and his face began to gather thunder for a storm.

"Well, then this is an excellent practice for you, isn't it? I am sure you will do your best."

Nodding rapidly, Eugene backed up like a scared mouse. He had no urge to visit the cage he created for Daryl at Negan's request.

"Yes, thank you, I wasn't thinking of it that way. A learning experience, yes. I will take care of the girl now and send someone to get her parents."

"Good idea. Don't worry, Lynn. Eugene is going to check you over and you'll be just fine. Mom and Dad are on their way. And I will visit you tomorrow to see how you are doing."

 

After smoothing back the blonde hair on the pretty girl's head, Negan barked at Eugene before he left.

"Give her a little painkiller, I don't care if you want to assess her first. I want her to have something now, look at how she is wincing! I want you to stop her discomfort, DOCTOR! You ARE a doctor, aren't you? Then fucking DOCTOR and give her some morphine! Inform her parents that the family has time off until Lynn is back on her feet. My orders. Understand?"

Leaving Eugene to hurry and inject the girl while worrying about dealing with upset parents, Negan stormed out. His teeth were grinding together as he led Daryl down a different hallway.

"I hate rapists, Daryl. I hate rule breakers and traitors and liars but Daryl, I cannot FUCKING TOLERATE a rapist on my property, breathing in the same universe as me. Thank you for being a good attack dog and killing that piece of filth for me. Here is your reward, Dog."

The door opened and Daryl felt the sun warm his face and dry the sudden tears.

 

Daryl walked next to Negan for two hours outside but always within the compound walls. He was allowed to talk and stretch and do as he wished as long as he remained respectful.

Then Negan allowed Daryl to sit on the floor next to him during dinner and have real food. He had rice, vegetables and venison. It was delicious, even if he had to eat it without utensils.

When the plate was empty and Daryl looked longingly at it, Negan chuckled and reached down.

"One of the friends of little Lynn made cookies as a thank you to me for protecting her buddy. The teenagers here, they are so sweet. Not like it used to be, all of us punks raising hell, right? I know you gotta remember being that way. Oh well, anyway, I figured, since it was really you that took care of that asshole for me, you should have a cookie or two."

 

Daryl's nose was assaulted by the smells of cinnamon and vanilla. Drool piled into his mouth and out the corners. He had to keep wiping his mouth. The cookie was in front of his face and so was Negan's hand.

Part of him wanted to lunge and bite through that hand. Daryl found himself leaning forward and gently taking the cookie from Negan's hand with his mouth. 

"Good boy! There ya go! Proud of you, Dog! I have one more for you when you are done. Don't bother begging for more. We each get two for tonight, don't want us to be all jacked up on sugar at bedtime."

Daryl ignored Negan's joy and luxuriated in the taste of the cookie. They were almost as good as Carol's and he savored every tiny bite he took until the cookie was gone. 

 

When Negan offered the second cookie, Daryl took that one too. And ignored his Master's gloating to enjoy the cookie.

Carol had the right idea after all. Just don't think about the bad things.

Just find a way to only find the good things out of it. Like real food, cookies, fresh air, standing and walking, saving girls and killing bad men. Negan's hand came down and pet Daryl's head, ruffling his hair.

Daryl did not flinch, snarl or move, he didn't care. It wasn't a fist, it was a hand. The cookies and the nice dinner have gotten rid of the taste of the rapist.


	9. A Proper Invitation

Carol finished the hardest part of her housekeeping and then sighed while rolling her shoulders. Expired aspirin soured her tongue and she grimaced, chewing anyway. She didn't have time for a twenty minute rest right now.

Busy, busy.

To distract herself after swigging her mouth with a water bottle, Carol started to hum. Then in a husky voice she started to sing as she scrubbed the dirt, spray paint and gore off herself in the freezing river. 

She washed her filthy clothing and set it to dry. Changing into something a little more appropriate. It was a stroke of luck to find a house with just the right clothes.

 

It felt comfortable to slip on her different identities and it always felt powerful. Carefully, Carol adjusted the collar on her blouse and fixed the sleeves of the sweater over it. A quick brush through her hair and on to the rest.

Table. Chairs. Weapons.

Carol checked on the pitcher of iced tea she left to brew in the sun and it was ready. She took the Tupperware full of her best cookies and placed it carefully along with glasses and small plates. Cloth napkins.

 

Standing back, Carol surveyed things and gave a small chilling smile. Perfect.

Checking her watch, Carol hurried back to the table just as she heard the first car motor rumbling towards her invitation.

 

 

Negan was frowning, tapping his fingers on his knee, staring out the truck window at the trees flying by.

He was resting his large boots on Daryl, who was also in a full snit. The fucking dog was stubborn on some things and being a dog in public was one of them. 

Daryl had accepted being seen crawling around the Saviors and after an initial balking, he crawled outside with Negan. As long as they stayed within the compound, he accepted it.

When Negan decided to start taking Daryl on trips out of the base, that is when the trouble started.

 

No punishment nor any reward seemed worth it for Daryl to obey and crawl in public. The stubborn bitch was not about to let any of the groups see him this way.

 

_But Negan was captured by the image of Rick's face, the others all seeing what he has done to their strongest, to Rick's right hand man. He wanted all the groups under his control and those to be under his control to see Daryl._

_To see and fear what Negan will do, how far he will go to get what he wants. For them to all see the ultimate power of Negan and the Saviors._

_Bull all Negan saw when he tried to make Daryl leave the compound was frozen, snarling panic. Daryl will dig in his whole body or grab something and wrap around it if Negan tries to drag him._

_Every time Negan tried to train Daryl to leave the compound, it ends up with the stubborn mutt in the infirmary._

 

_Not all the wounds and injuries are from Negan or his men. Daryl has ripped off his own fingernails trying to dig into the ground, he has accidentally choked himself out on the leash several times._

_Negan is patient when he needs to be. But sometimes, a thing will get stuck in his head and it simply can't wait. This is one of them. Finally the day came when Negan decided enough was enough._

_He had managed to get Daryl as far as the outer gates without any trouble but as soon as he headed towards a truck, the fucking dog froze._

_Shaking his head, Daryl started to pull away, trying to look for something to grab onto._

 

_"No. NO. I won't. Can't."_

_"For fuck's sake, Daryl, I'm not asking you to lead a fucking parade, am I? No, I just want you to crawl around the damned parking lot. Those knee pads aren't going to do well dragging on the pavement, stupid dog. Do you know the trouble a poor worker had to go through to make those for you? The man has arthritis and he has had to make three new pairs now. Do you have no care for what you do to others at all? Dog,_ _you will crawl or you are going to get my boot up your ass."_

_"Not getting in the truck."_

_Negan had rolled his eyes and grinned but his temper was rising and it showed in his tone._

 

_"Daryl, I am telling you to crawl around the vehicles, not in them. Can you do that much, puppy? Huh?"_

_"Yes Master."_

_"If that was said with just the slightest more touch of enthusiasm that would be great. Your tone is bordering on insolent."_

 

_Daryl glared at the ground and forced his tone to become more submissive and pleasant._

_"Yes Master. I can crawl around the vehicles."_

_"Good. Great, wonderful to hear that you are finally ready. Heel, dog."_

 

_Negan got Daryl to crawl around every van, truck and car they had. The dog got tense and suspicious but on the second time around the vehicles, the mutt had relaxed some._

_The went to pass the white truck and Negan stopped next to the passenger door. Daryl stayed as he was ordered but he was already tensing, ready to pull, to resist._

_"Don't you fucking dare. Stupid mutt. This is only learning time, not a field trip. I want you to stay right there and I am opening the door. Don't move or I swear you will not be able to move at all for three days."_

_He praised Daryl for staying still while the door was open._

 

_"Good. Good boy. Now our next lesson. I want you to sit in the truck. Look, I am going to stay right here beside you and there is no key in the ignition, no driver. You are only going to sit in the seat for me."_

_It took about ten minutes of a mix of threats and coaxing but Daryl started to attempt to enter the truck. He crawled up with Negan's assistance, then out of the corner of his eye, he saw the trick._

_He could see Dwight standing nearby and he had the truck keys. The look of pity and regret on the man's scarred face burned but the panic was crashing through it._

 

_Daryl crashed into Negan, climbed over him and dropped to the ground, nearly hanging himself as the leash tightened over Negan's shoulder._

_"Stupid fucking mutt! I should let you hang yourself!"_

_Negan kicked at Daryl as the dog tried to regain his breath and squirmed on the ground._

_"I am done with this game, dog. Get in that fucking truck now."_

 

_Daryl shook his head and lunged, crawling under the truck. Negan gave a short bark of surprised laughter._

_"Are you shitting me? For real? Like a little puppy hiding from a storm under the bed?"_

_He tried to drag Daryl out by the leash but it has been frayed with all the pulling. It snapped and Negan swore as he heard Daryl scramble further away under the damned truck._

_Negan crouched down and reached for Daryl's torn end of the leash still dangling from the collar. Dwight circled to make sure that Daryl doesn't run off._

 

_"Bad boy, bad dog! Come here now or you're going to regret it."_

 

_Instead of following Negan's advice, Daryl growled, his eyes wide with panic, trying to find a way out. Negan growled back and nearly tore out his arm to grab the very end of the leash._

_When he snagged it and tried to yank the dog towards him, Daryl truly freaked. Teeth sunk hard into Negan's hand and he bellowed. That was it, that was all Negan could take._

_There was no way he was going to allow his bitch to growl and bite his Master._

 

_No way, Sir, not on Negan's planet. And his wrath fell upon Daryl the way Lucille had fallen upon Glenn and Abraham._

 

_Dragging the dog from under the van, Negan used his fists and boots upon the mutt until he was bloody, curled up, shuddering. Throwing Daryl over his shoulder, Negan stormed back inside._

_He went up to Eugene's surgical room and threw Daryl upon the table. Spitting out blood and curses, the stupid dog flailed about as Negan put him in the restraints._

_Negan left the room and got Eugene, who sighed and began to prep._

 

_When he returned to his bruised and writhing pet, he had Dwight and Simon with him._

_"Cut his clothing off and hold him down for Smartypants when he is ready."_

_Daryl was in a full panic and hyperventilating though he tried hard to hide it. Negan leaned over him and made sure his eyes were boring into his stupid dog's._

_"You were warned. Over and over. I don't care what fucking panic attacks you are having. I don't care that you were a stubborn little fuck like usual."_

 

_Negan's face darkened and his eyes were full of thunder as was his tone._

_"You. Bit. Me. After you tried to run from me. I don't have a lot of hard and fast rules for you, Daryl. But you just broke two HUGE FUCKING rules. And I can't let that stand, doggie. Dogs can try to run off, they can get aggressive. There is an age old cure for that, Daryl."_

_Daryl paled and started to speak but Negan quickly shoved a cloth into his mouth._

 

_"This time it's not a threat, Daryl. You will not bite or run from me ever again. One testicle. Do you care which one, do you have a preference? And the next time I want you to take a truck ride, you will or you will lose your last ball."_

_As expected, Daryl fought helplessly against the restraints and the men holding him down. He pleaded with his eyes as he screamed through the gag. Negan had no mercy though he did allow Eugene to use a numbing agent._

_Daryl hasn't tried to bite, run, snarl or do anything but obey sullenly since he recovered._

 

This was Negan's first try in getting Daryl to take a ride since he lost his left testicle.

So far Daryl has managed to get out of the truck and crawl next to his Master. He wore his new leash and stayed down when Negan spoke with a group he has recently acquired.

They were small timid group that has given no trouble. Negan had to push Lucille hard into Daryl's back to get him to stay down when these others stared at him. 

The second Negan turned for them to leave, the fucking dog bolted.

 

He yanked hard enough for the leash to escape Negan's grasp. Before anyone could be alarmed, Daryl ran and dove into the truck.

Simon and his other men started to laugh and Negan shook his head slowly, chuckling.

"On one hand, I'm pissed that the little bitch just ran off. On the other hand, guess I'm glad he is trained to always go right home."

 

Negan let Daryl stay curled under the dashboard and sat down, putting his heavy boots directly on the dog. Except for small whine and flinch, Daryl tried to ignore his owner.

"I am going to punish you for yanking the leash and running from me. But since you only ran to the truck, I'll be merciful. No walking privileges for three days. Understand, doggie?

"Yes Master."

Negan was irritated with his mutt and his irritation deepened when the van ahead of him suddenly stopped.

 

He waited until Simon checked out whatever the issue was by nudging his boots into the dog.

Simon came flying over and had a huge grin on his face.

"Negan, you will love this. I can't explain, you need to see it for yourself. It's for you, after all. Someone left you one hell of an invitation up ahead. It's safe, it's...just come see this. You won't believe it."

Handing Daryl's leash to Dwight, Negan wondered what could produce that kind of reaction in Simon. 

 

"Keep a close eye on my dog, Dwight. Give him water or his little treats if he wants, but he doesn't leave this spot and you don't either unless I call you or shit hits the fan. Daryl, you stay and keep silent. Be a good doggie or I'll have to add another few days no walking like a real person."

 

Negan whistled and stared, hands on his hips. His mouth grew, his lips stretched out into a huge smile and his words bellowed out.

"Now this, this is a work of art! This is craftsmanship, it was carefully done work. Take a few tips, boys, this is better than our own work. Hell, I am fucking IMPRESSED! Hell, yes! This is a proper fucking invitation and I accept! Damn, I am just feeling better by the second now."

"Negan...these were ours. They were our scouts, some were posted guards."

"Did you know any of them well, Simon? Any of you know them beyond their names and positions? Do you know secrets or maybe you share the same favorite color with one of them? Used to fuck one of them maybe? No? They were ours and that will have to be a debt we shall make paid in full. But boys, look at the work here...we must appreciate it."

 

The entire stone archway heading into a tunnel was covered in zombies, all carefully hung with barbed wire and spikes. They hung like a gruesome banner as if announcing the worst birthday party ever.

On their naked chests were carefully spray painted letters. All in total it spelled out,

NEGAN. PLEASE ACCEPT INVITE FOR TEA.

 

An arrow was pointing left, away from the tunnel, towards the river banks. In case that wasn't enough of a directional, Negan saw to his delight that his way was clearly made out.

Walkers writhed and snapped from their positions, all of them caught on either side of a long narrow fence. Each of them were wired into the fence. The fence seemed to lead through the field then down the gentle slope towards the river.

"Well, guess we are going to have some tea time, Simon! Let's go."


End file.
